Chapter 48: MMP
The cherry blossom viewing and hot pot event was a great success; everyone came in high spirits and left fully satisfied.
Hayama expressed that he wanted to learn martial arts because he wanted to become "cooler." Because he wanted to be cooler, he wanted to learn true martial arts.
Hikigaya felt that since Hayama wanted to jump into such a pit for a reason like that, as an old classmate, he absolutely had to stop him. Introducing him to Ryozanpaku or something similar was, of course, a joke.
Hikigaya didn't think his relationship with Ryozanpaku was actually that good. In fact, if things went as expected, he had likely already been promoted to the "Number One Villain" in the hearts of the people there. Others might not know he had become the Master of Yomi, but that old man at Ryozanpaku certainly had ways of finding out.
Even setting that aside, as the highest-quality gathering place for "Katsujinken" in the world, Ryozanpaku would never accept an apprentice with a background in Yomi. Even if Hikigaya threatened them, it wouldn't work; one look at the attitude of the Eight Shimmering Blades of Judgment before their deaths proved that true martial artists place their inheritance and philosophy above their own lives.
From this perspective, Hikigaya felt he definitely didn't deserve the title of a "true martial artist," because he placed his own life above all else.
By the same logic, Hikigaya wouldn't find a martial artist from the Yomi to do the job either. It was impossible to let Hayama learn "Satsujinken" (Killing Fist); that would be sabotaging Hayama, and it would also be a desecration of Yomi's martial arts philosophy.
Hikigaya might never become a true martial artist in his life, but he would never belittle such figures. Not only would he not do it himself, but if he saw someone else doing it, he would certainly kill them. Since he had become the Master of Yomi, he would shoulder the responsibility of protecting the philosophy of Dark martial arts. This was his bottom line as a human being.
So, before parting, he had a long chat with Hayama and subtly offered his suggestion—if he wanted to look cool, it was better to learn so-called "fake" martial arts. Hayama could not afford the price of learning "true" martial arts.
It wasn't a matter of money, but of responsibility and mission.
Did Yomi necessarily want to clash with Ryozanpaku? Obviously not. Setting aside the "One Shadow," several members of the "Nine Ichis" had family ties to Ryozanpaku. But there is no room for sentiment in a conflict of faith.
Even if they were close enough to share a pair of trousers, in this situation, they could only tear the trousers apart and fight it out. Both sides carried too much on their shoulders.
Perhaps when they first started practicing, many of them were like Hayama, doing it just to look cool. But over time, as they were moved by martial arts again and again, and grew proud of the inheritance they carried, they gave their lives to martial arts. Martial arts became their only faith in this life.
Could Hayama become that kind of person? Hikigaya couldn't be sure, but what he was sure of was that Hayama would lose his life in the process.
.
.
.
After seeing his old classmates off to their cars one by one, Hikigaya returned to Hinata House.
Maeda Ema was sweeping the floor at the entrance. Hikigaya greeted her politely and learned that Komachi hadn't returned yet. He made a phone call to the people in Yomi to confirm the situation, then went back to his room.
The warmth of the reunion with his old classmates was slowly fading from his heart. After the sun sets, there is darkness, and warmth turns to cold. Hikigaya liked warmth, but he knew it was only a seasoning in his life, not the main course.
Regarding the investigation into the person named "Naru Narusegawa," Liliana had not yet sent word. This meant there was something going on.
Hikigaya, having just toured the Americas and Britain, felt that since he had just finished moving around, he didn't want to start moving again immediately. So, he didn't rush it; let them take their time.
Hopefully, it wasn't bad news, or he would be forced to resort to violence once more. A look at the contrast between Voban's status in Europe and Annie's in the Americas showed exactly what it meant for "the kind to be bullied" and for people to "fear power rather than respect virtue." Hikigaya didn't want to be a Voban, but he didn't plan on being an Annie either.
Stripping off his clothes and wrapping a towel around his waist, Hikigaya walked to the outdoor hot spring. Then, with a flick of the towel, he jumped in. The capable Moe had already prepared everything. Soaking in a hot spring was one of the few activities Hikigaya had truly fallen in love with after his reincarnation.
"Phew..."
Leaning against a rock in the middle of the pool, submerged in the water up to his chest, Hikigaya looked fully satisfied. Komachi was out with friends, Haruno was accompanying his sister, and Lili had returned to Italy to help with the investigation; the only one left here was Ena. But Ena had gone to the back mountain to practice her sword.
Hinata House was a great place for Ena as well; she absolutely loved the almost undeveloped back mountain.
Speaking of which, Hikigaya could now be considered a master of the sword—dual-wielding, no less. Shaba Gyonosuke was a peerless master of Nito-ryu (Two-Sword Style). He and One Shadow originally constituted Yomi's highest combat power, and he was an "invincible" master well-known even in the magic world. He alone upheld the name of the Eight Shimmering Blades of Judgment.
If not for "cheaters" like the Campiones, he would be among the strongest people in the world. Most magicians wouldn't even be able to lock onto his silhouette. Now, he had died at Hikigaya's hands, and his martial arts had become Hikigaya's property.
Hikigaya would find a successor for him. Clearly, Hayama was not within his scope of consideration.
Amidst the "splash-splash" sound, Hikigaya splashed hot water over his chest and shoulders, feeling so comfortable he didn't want to move a muscle. After a while, he even started to doze off.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open.
A bolt of lightning pierced down from the sky at a speed an ordinary person could never react to, landing right on Hikigaya's outstretched palm. Even if a normal person could catch it, the hot spring would have turned into an electrotherapy pool...
The electricity leaped in Hikigaya's dripping wet palm, completely ignoring the water that should have conducted it, and transformed into jumping characters. It was English.
Hikigaya's expression immediately turned serious. It was a message from the Black Prince. As for the content...
MMP! (Mother-f***ing...) Not enough vocabulary!
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